Empathy in Spades

As you all know, the first book in my new series, Mystic, is due to release this month. I'm thinking sometime around August 21 but that could change depending on the amount of time it takes me to get it formatted and the back cover worked out for the print version. Keep your eyes here for the release announcement!

I've had my usual reader and my usual editor ripping me apart for the sake of everything that's good and forcing me, in their wisdom, to re-write a number of sections. Something that they've both said while reading my series has given me reason to pause and consider.

"I can see you and your struggles in this book."

I have wracked my brain to figure out why in the world they would say that. I've never had to struggle with coming out to my family and friends and I've never lost my looks due to a horrific accident. Then, like a lightning bolt thrown by the mighty Zeus, it hit me: I can put myself in someone's shoes and feel right along with them. As a writer, when I'm crafting a scene, I'm in the body and mindset of the character. I feel what they feel and allow my fingers to relay that to the page.

Writing is taxing, emotionally, some days because of this.

Sometimes, I have to pause and play the entire scene out in my head, thinking about what I would do next and how I would feel if I were experiencing what the character is going through.

Writers have empathy in spades. Writers tend to feel very deeply. Writers must identify.

If you all remember my post a while back about Writers that Cannot Feel... Cannot Write, you'll have an idea of what I'm talking about. We must be able to communicate those emotions effectively to the page. Remember my post about keeping a feelings bible? I practice what I preach and keep one myself. When I need a great sadness or a great fear to come across on the page, I delve into my feelings bible and come out with the mindset to empathize with my character. It gets easier to call on it when I need it with time.

But, I digress.

My point to all this rambling is, I know very few novel writers who are judgmental. They tend to accept you for exactly who you are. Writers listen as well as they talk. It's so rare to have people who are genuinely interested in our life story, when we come across them, we word vomit. It's a safe haven for venting. Sure, you may show up in a book at some point because you spilled the beans to an author, but your name will be changed. Hell, you might even acquire a super-power.

Journalists may be a whole different story. Just sayin'...

I read a post today over on Depression Cookies where Tia talks about meeting writers and how they feel like friends after just a short period of time. It has to be the empathy factor.

But when you tell your life story to someone who writes novels, or let loose with an admission of something you feel badly about doing, you're more likely to get a pat on the hand than a slap in the face. It's because they traveled with you during your tale; they felt what you felt. Hopefully, when your life shows up on the page of a book, other people feel it, too.

After all, that's our job, right?

Have you ever had someone tell you they felt very strongly what your character felt and could identify with them? How did that make you feel?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Mystic ~ Bronya: Cover Reveal

Today is the big day, as promised. I'm showing you the covers for the first two books in my Mystic series. It was not an easy decision but I think I did a decent job. Enjoy!

Since the series is based around things seen in a crystal ball and the possible demolition and death of the world, I chose to go this route. Turns out, my beta viewers loved it as well.

I am happy with the way they worked out and believe my design choices to be solid ones. My typography fits with the story and screams, "Otherworldly but serious."

I used my own photograph for the cloud element and built the rest with a pen and a Wacom Intuos 4.

Keep an eye on either my Amazon author page or my bibliography for the release of Mystic~Bronya later this month.

What do you think of the cover?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Mystic ~ Bronya: Tolerance and Hate

As promised, today you all get a deeper look into my Mystic series. It's six books in all with five novellas and a full-length novel at the end. I won't give away the ending, nor will I explain what the monster is an embodiment of but read on and become intrigued.

This is the synopsis for the first book in the series Bronya.

Bronya Thibodeaux is an eighteen-year-old senior at Houma High School whose life is about to be changed forever. She's always felt like an outcast, but thinks she may have found a friend when a strange, new girl named Markaza who has blue hair, a number of tattoos, and a strange way of dressing appears. She accepts Bronya for who she is and the two hit it off.

Markaza isn’t around long before she moves away. Bronya goes back to feeling lonely and different. Trouble arises when Bronya's love interest - a girl named Cecilia - is accidentally revealed to the entire student body. Bronya’s life choices make her a pariah in her small town. After getting thrown out of school, not being able to find a job, and being subjected to ridicule and cruel treatment, Bronya chooses to leave her old life behind forever when she receives a compelling invitation from a mysterious company named WSTW.

What Bronya doesn't know, is the mysterious company is owned by Markaza; a mystic who knows the end of the world is coming and is gathering together the only people who can stop the evil that's threatening to take over. Bronya is just the first. But going to New York is only a baby step toward her true journey. As Bronya races against the clock to unlock a power she never knew she had, Markaza races to collect the others: Lily, Sheila, Melody, and Coralie.

This is the synopsis for the second book in the series Lily.

Lily Conyers is a twenty-year-old who had it all going for her until a car crash left her with terrible scars, no modeling job, and an addiction to pain killers. When she meets a strange young woman named Markaza, Lily begins to re-build her life with encouragement from her new friend.

Problems arise when Lily leaves the safety of her apartment for the first time since her accident to venture back into the world she used to know. Her so-called friends shun her and her boyfriend recoils at the sight of her face; leaving her standing in the road alone - crying. She rushes home with thoughts of suicide only to find a letter on her step from a company called WSTW; promising her a new life.

Lily packs her bags, bids Markaza goodbye, and sets off for the city. But going to New York is only the first hurdle Lily must jump. She must learn to use the power inside herself to help defeat an evil that is threatening to destroy the world. Once there, she meets a girl named Bronya and the two help one another re-build what was so negligently broken.

As Lily is boarding the plane bound for New York, Markaza boards another headed to Tennessee so she can collect the next young woman on her list: Sheila.
_________________________________________________________________

As a note: I'm a person who speaks out against taking offense to anyone just because they make choices I don't. We're all human and we need to practice a little humanity. I know I want to be accepted just as I am so I'm accepting in return. I don't care what choices you make, I'm going to do my best to understand you and accept you for who you are. We all need to follow the Golden Rule and just stop allowing hate to live in our hearts.

Just because someone is different, doesn't mean they're bad or evil. The true evil, in my opinion, is the hate and judgment that's thrown around so freely.

Would you want to be judged because of your life choices? Guess what? No one else does either. I don't wish for free love or think there should be no war (sometimes it's necessary to protect what we hold dear, like freedom), what I do wish I could see is human beings stop fighting one another to conform. We're all different. If you shun everyone who is different from you, eventually you'll be all alone. Start looking at a person's heart instead of their life choices and I promise you, your quality of life will improve.

Countless men and women have died fighting for freedom. We show our disrespect for their sacrifice every time we put someone else down for their choices. This is AMERICA the BEAUTIFUL. Let's work harder to keep it the land of the FREE and show our appreciation for those that died for the cause, shall we?

I'm going to share something with you all now that I was ashamed to see happen. When you click on the link, go to the section labeled History and read the last paragraph. Can you believe these folks wanted to do this?

Link to Wiki article.

I started writing Mystic ~ Bronya a good while back (I always have a number of works going at once) and slated it for release this month. I couldn't think of a better time considering the hate I'm seeing spewed all over the news about Chik-Fil-A and what was said. It saddens me. I have faith in humanity as a general collective but, once in a while, I'm let down. This was one of those times.

When you pick it up, be sure and read my author's note. It might give you a new way of seeing the world. I'll do the cover reveal later in the week.

Watch my Amazon author page for the release of Mystic~Bronya.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Blog Tag I'm "IT" Today

My dear friend, Sandi, over at An Average Woman in a Superwoman World tagged me in blog tag. Today, I'm finally getting around to the post from being tagged. Enjoy the break from my rambling mind to indulge in a little learning about me. Tomorrow, I'm going to introduce you all to my new series Mystic and give you a synopsis from book one Bronya. Enjoy the read!

First the rules:

    Post rules
    Answer the question your taggers sent you or create new ones, the choice is yours.
    Tag eleven people
    Tell these people they have been tagged.

And now the questions:

1 What gets you out of bed each day?

My kids and knowing I have to do for them. What gets me out of bed with a smile is the fact that I have someone in the world that loves me like my boyfriend. I get to wake up to his face next to mine almost every day now. Without that, I would wake up to monotony. I would shuffle through the motions. The word zombie comes to mind.

2 If an alien landed on earth, what would your top tip ‘for living here’ be?

Don't experiment on people! We have fragile minds.

3 What is your ‘happy song’?

“Church" by T-Pain (I LOVE to dance and this has a great beat)

4 Do you have a special place real or imagined?

In the arms of The Best Boyfriend in the World is where I find love, inspiration, and security. That's my special place.

5 What childhood fable, fairy tale or movie stretched your imagination and sticks with you today?

The Last Unicorn because the art is beautiful and the story inspiring. I always get chills when the unicorns run from the surf. Eh, girls and horses...

6 What is your idea of a perfect evening?

Dinner and a movie with my boyfriend and our kids (he has great kids).

7 As a kid, what did you want to be when you grow up?

I wanted to be an imagineer for Disney. I love to draw cartoons.

8 What is your favorite type of movie?

This is going to sound so lame but I love animated movies. Brave was soooo good! I loved Wall-E and A Bug's Life and Shrek. I'm a big ole kid at heart.

9 If you won the lottery would you tell anyone?

I would tell The Best Boyfriend in the World and my mom. No one else. Having money like that brings critters you haven't seen in years out of the woodwork and I wouldn't want to chance it. Certain people in my life would get anonymous donations though.

10 If you could visit anywhere in the world where would it be?

I have so many places I want to visit! If I had to choose just one, it would be Stratfordshire in England.

11 Do you believe in Destiny?

I do. I believe we all have a path. Finding it is the mother of all quests and the basis of every good novel. hehe

Now – On to the Next Shift:

I realize there have been a lot of these things doing the rounds, so, if any of you have been tagged before, or it doesn’t light your fire to take part, I won’t be at all offended if you choose to pass on this.

I really don't know who to tag so I'm gonna skip this part. If you would like to do this, consider yourself IT.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Pissed Off Authors

I've seen so many pissed off authors lately it's beginning to make my head swim. There are way too many of us ranting and raving at reviewers. It makes us all look bad. So you got a 1 star review that slammed your book, eh? Be grateful.

Let me tell you something about publicity: If someone loves your book, they may tell a friend or two or they may blog about it. If someone hates your book, they're gonna tell everyone they know. I can hear you saying, "But, Jo! If they run their mouths about my book in a bad way, no one will read it!" This isn't always the case. I have an example.

Harry Potter. Now, J.K. Rowling never expected the uproar that happened with her HP series; but what she gained was notoriety. Because people were so angry about the witchcraft in her books and how it was being presented as good and wholesome, they told everyone they knew about her books. She began to make the news. People flooded out in droves to buy her book because of it.

On the flip-side, remember all those books that got burned? Someone had to buy them so she still made a royalty for each and every one. Chew on that for a moment.

When it comes down to it, J.K. got a ton of free publicity for her HP series because of people that were unhappy with her books and what they perceived to be her message. Now, it doesn't hurt that she had a great series and that she's a really great writer either.

Now for some stats:

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone has 5, 831 reviews on Amazon as of the date of this post.
4, 822 are 5 stars
578 are 4 stars
200 are 3 stars
83 are 2 stars
88 are 1 star

And never once did she go rant at a 1 star reviewer. I urge you to go read some of the 1 star reviews.

What I'm trying to say is, your book isn't going to be for everyone. There will be people who love it, and people who hate it. While a bunch of negative reviews may kill your book, there is a good chance they won't. Take it in stride and try not to let your blood-pressure rise too high. Thank the reviewer for taking the time to write a review or don't comment back on any review, ever.

When I ask someone for a review, I tell them to please be as honest as possible and give my book a fair rating according to their level of interest. If it ends up being a 1 star review, then that's fine because that's how they felt when they read my work.

I'm one of those that doesn't write to appeal to the masses. I feel I would be selling out if I did that. I write on topics I'm passionate about. My new series Mystic touches on some very controversial subjects that will not appeal to everyone. I don't care because I'm writing about what I choose to write about. If I stir the soul of just one reader, I did my job. Historical Fiction only appeals to a handful of people in the world. I knew that when I wrote Yassa. But the story was something I was passionate about telling. I stirred someone's soul with that book. I know this because they told me, privately. That review never hit the market but it doesn't matter because it reached my ears.

When I wrote The Abigale Chronicles (Book One and Book Two), I wrote them for my daughter. She loves them, that's what matters to me.

So, my advice is for you to write with your heart and on topics that matter to you, thank people who take time out of their day to read your books and write you a review, and coast along with the tides that ebb and flow from it. If you're an author because you want to get rich, probably not the best occupation. Very few of us make it to the big time. But I'd be willing to bet you write because you love to write. So why does it matter when someone doesn't like it? Now chew on that for a while.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Life is a Road

Sometimes, the road of life is straight and free from obstacles. More often, it twists, turns, forks, has branches in it, or is covered in snow. What do we do when we come upon something that impedes our forward progress?

Some of us lie down in the road and are quickly overcome with despair. Those who succumb to the stress are often walked past by others on the road and looked at with scorn. People who give up are usually stuck where they are until they die. Every great once in a while, a kind soul stops and picks one of the forlorn up to place the poor wretch back on their feet. They are the lucky ones. They aren't the driven ones.

Some of us face the road and make decisions on which path to take when it forks, lean with the turns like riders of motorcycles to keep our balance, and obliterate the branches with balls of fire from our fists. The people that keep going no matter what are the ones that succeed. Sometimes, they help someone else by carrying them on their shoulders or giving an encouraging word where it's needed. They are the hard workers; the driven ones.

Still others coast down the road and take the turns as they come. These folk usually walk around the branches and take whichever path in the fork is suggested to them by a passerby or throw a stone and see where it lands; taking that as guidance from a higher power. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes they don't. But they are rarely stressed out and tend to take life with a grain of salt.

We also have those who look at life through jaded eyes. Every person that passes them on the road makes them angry. If they go left and you go right and your road ends in a pot of gold, they feel cheated. These are the people who bring bitterness and anger into the world. They scoff at those who fell down and feel they deserve better; though it was their own decisions that put them where they ended up. People like this are never happy and can rarely just take things as they come. Oftentimes, they don't survive on the road for very long.

Everyone falls into one or the other categories above and, sometimes, we waver between a couple of different ones. Life is not about the beginning or the end, but what you do on your road between the two; both for yourself and for other people you meet or pass.

Food for thought today.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Do The Hokey Pokey

I know you probably all know the song "The Hokey Pokey" but do you know how it can relate to writing a novel or short story? Today, I'm going to talk about the hokey pokey way to change things up in your story or to start a new tale. I hope it breeds some great ideas in your heads!

Put your right foot in:

Your right foot will represent your searching brain. Get your idea. I know ideas don't grow on trees, but they could if you let them. Read what other people write and let your brain run amok outside the box. You can take something as simple as a musing about a tree and turn it into a great story if you put that right foot into the circle. What I'm saying is, stick your foot into the rambling thoughts of someone (or even a news article), grab hold of a piece of what they're saying, and then move on to the next step.

Put your right foot out:

Take that bit out of the circle and put a fantastical spin on it. Think of how you would use one tiny piece of whatever you read and make it into a whole story.

Put your right foot in:

Yes, do it again. Read on. Go elsewhere and see if someone else inspires you to add a character or turn to that story.

Shake it all about:

You know what I'm talking about here. Give that story something to shake up the characters. Provide a problem for them to solve. A story is about a journey, after all, and there must be strife and conflict. This is where you make the big decision about the main issue.

Put your left foot in:

Your left foot is representing the organization of your ideas that your right foot picked up. Write them all down and scramble them around on the page. Create order out of chaos. Give your characters beliefs and personalities.

Put your left foot out:

Really look at your characters here. If someone isn't cutting the mustard, cut them. Every character has a reason for existing. If you don't think they're going to change your story or move it forward in a significant way, cut them now and make them nameless figureheads.

Put your left foot in:

Structure your story. Have an idea of where it's going from beginning to end. Make some decisions. Most people outline here. I write chapter headings and summarize each to use as a guide that I don't force myself to stick to. If the story takes a turn on its own, I let myself have creative freedom to change it on the fly.

Shake it all about:

If you hit that roadblock of boredom where the story is dragging we are all too familiar with, write down some things that could happen to your character that are bad. Put this information on little squares of index cards and toss them into a hat. Draw one out when you aren't feeling a push from the story. Shake it up.

When you've gotten this far, you're in the throes of writing. Let your characters loose to do what they want. You are simply a guide, problem solver, and creator of woes. Yes, in a lot of ways, you're like a God or Goddess. You shape someone's life.

I hope today's post made your brain start to desire reading. Monday's post had some great bloggers on it where I have gotten a lot of snips and ideas for stories. I used the above method by taking a discussion about a necklace from one post, someone musing about a graveyard from another, and a news article about a wedding proposal. I don't know if it'll work for a story but maybe with some twists and turns.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo